BIATHLON: Boe dominates – again – with two wins in Ruhpolding

Norway's Johannes Thingnes Boe wins again (Photo: IBU)

Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe won his eighth and ninth races of the IBU World Cup season with outstanding performances in Ruhpolding (GER) to extend his overall World Cup lead to a startling 186 points. That’s three races worth.

Boe has now won nine of the 12 races held this season and with 14 races to go, he is in position to end French star Martin Fourcade’s string of seven World Cup overall titles in a row.

The 10 km Sprint was a family affair, with Boe and older brother Tarjei Boe second, just 7.9 seconds behind. The two wins gave J.T. Boe 31 for his career, while Tarjei got his 29th individual World Cup medal.

Boe’s Mass Start win on Sunday included a come-from-behind, last-loop win by just 0.6 seconds over Austria’s Julian Eberhard.

J.T. Boe now has a 662-476-428 World Cup edge over Alexander Loginov (RUS) and Fourcade.

The women’s winners were six-time Olympic medalist Anastasiya Kuzmina (SVK) in the Sprint and first-time World Cup winner Franziska Preuss (GER) in the Mass Start, especially thrilling because she lives in Ruhpolding! Summaries:

IBU World Cup
Ruhpolding (AUT) ~ 14-20 January 2019
(Full results here)

Men’s 10 km Sprint: 1. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR), 22:56.3 (1 penalty); 2. Tarjei Boe (NOR), +7.9 (0); 3. Benedikt Doll (GER), +10.5 (1); 4. Martin Fourcade (FRA), +15.9 (0); 5. Alexander Loginov (RUS), +26.1 (1). Also in the top 25: 23. Sean Doherty (USA), +1:10.2 (1).

Men’s 15 km Mass Start: 1. J.T. Boe (NOR), 36:43.8 (1); 2. Julian Eberhard (AUT), +0.6 (2); 3. Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA), +2.8 (1); 4. Martin Fourcade (FRA), +8.6 (1); 5. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (NOR), +9.9 (1). Also in the top 25: 13. Doherty (USA), +42.2 (2).

Men’s 4×7.5 km Relay: 1. Norway (Birkeland, Christiansen, T. Boe, J.T. Boe), 1:09:54.3 (8); 2. Germany, +13.5 (6); 3. France, +26.32 (9); 4. Austria, +26.8 (11); 5. Russia, +1:04.8 (9). Also in the top 25: 17. United States (Leif Nordgren, Sean Doherty, Jake Brown, Max Durtschi), +4:01.2 (13).

Women’s 7.5 km Sprint: 1. Anastasia Kuzmina (SVK), 19:15.1 (0); 2. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA), +11.5 (0); 3. Hanna Oeberg (SWE), +29.1 (0); 4. Marte Olsbu Roiseland (NOR), +30.6 (1); 5. Anais Bescond (FRA), +32.5 (0). Also in the top 25: 20. Susan Dunklee (USA), +1:11.3 (1).

Women’s 12.5 km Mass Start: 1. Franziska Preuss (GER), 32:34.0 (0); 2. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold (NOR), +0.2 (0); 3. Paulina Fialkova (CZE), +15.1 (1); 4. Hanna Oeberg (SWE), +18.8 (2); 5. Lena Haecki (SUI), +19.4 (1). Also in the top 25: 24. Clare Egan (USA), +1:59.7 (5); 25. Dunklee (USA), +2:12.5 (4).

Women’s 4×6 km Relay: 1. France (Julia Simon, Anais Bescond, Justice Braisaz, Anais Chevalier), 1:09:27.7 (4); 2. Norway, +11.5 (7); 3. Germany, +23.4 (9); 4. Sweden, +1:29.0 (9); 5. Russia, +1:46.2 (14). Also in the top 25: 16. United States (Clare Egan, Susan Dunklee, Joanne Reid, Deedra Irwin), +4:06.0 (14).